Where do you stay pre-cruise near Port Canaveral?

Where do you stay pre-cruise near Port Canaveral for 1 night? I've been checking prices and they seem to have gone way up, just since last year (from what I can remember). Plus, they aren't offering the special discount for parking at the port any longer.

We don't even have to stay at the hotels right next to the port. Anything close by in the surrounding area would be fine.

Recommendations would be appreciated.

Are you driving? I'm thinking you live in south Florida and will be driving up....so the Orlando area would be way out of the way for you.

OK, the nice places nearest the port are the Residence Inn, Country Inn and Suites, and Ramada. They each offer some form of transportation to the port, Ramada includes breakfast only in specific packages, the others include breakfast for all. These tend to be the most popular and most expensive places.

Best Western Inn and Suites--a few miles down the road. I understand it has been refurbished since we stayed there, which it badly needed. Good internet and breakfast, right across the street from Publix (literally, walking distance), and right next to the pier. Quality Inn and Suites is a sister hotel to the Ramada so we could piggy back onto the Ramada parking deal with a stay there. OK for an overnight, but not for anything more. We frankly didn't care--we got in at 10 or 11 at night and went to the ship the next morning.

There are some nicer resort type places in Cocoa, but we aren't interested. If we are staying in the terminal area, it is a night before cruise only, so resort features are not something I look for.

If you stay a little farther south (don't drive to Cocoa Beach the day before but stop a little short of that), you'll find things a little less pricey. Melbourne or Titusville will also be about half the price of Cocoa/Cape Canaveral.

Are you driving? I'm thinking you live in south Florida and will be driving up....so the Orlando area would be way out of the way for you.

 

OK' date=' the nice places nearest the port are the Residence Inn, Country Inn and Suites, and Ramada. They each offer some form of transportation to the port, Ramada includes breakfast only in specific packages, the others include breakfast for all. These tend to be the most popular and most expensive places.

 

Best Western Inn and Suites--a few miles down the road. I understand it has been refurbished since we stayed there, which it badly needed. Good internet and breakfast, right across the street from Publix (literally, walking distance), and right next to the pier. Quality Inn and Suites is a sister hotel to the Ramada so we could piggy back onto the Ramada parking deal with a stay there. OK for an overnight, but not for anything more. We frankly didn't care--we got in at 10 or 11 at night and went to the ship the next morning.

 

There are some nicer resort type places in Cocoa, but we aren't interested. If we are staying in the terminal area, it is a night before cruise only, so resort features are not something I look for.

 

If you stay a little farther south (don't drive to Cocoa Beach the day before but stop a little short of that), you'll find things a little less pricey. Melbourne or Titusville will also be about half the price of Cocoa/Cape Canaveral.[/quote']

 

 

Thanks for the detailed info. Yes, we are driving up from South Florida. We like to drive up the day before and make a day of it as tourists. (Vero outlets, favorite seafood restaurants, the manatee park, Ron Jon and check out the Cocoa beach.)

 

We've stayed at the big 3 closest to the port. But, they are just so darn expensive now. Funny, we are spending a fortune on the cruise but I don't want to spend a lot for 1 night in a hotel!

 

Any hoo, we would be fine not staying right next to the port. Like you, we don't want any resort features. Just need something close by, reasonable, clean and safe.

We have stayed at the Country Inn & Suites in the past and it has been nice. I do agree on the fact that the rates seem to be higher. We are going on the Dream in April and the rates are higher than we paid last year.

OK, my suggestion--go to hotels.com and plug in your dates along with Cocoa Beach. It will show you first those hotels with a Cocoa Beach address. But if you scroll down, you'll start seeing places with other addresses along with a notation of their distance from the Cocoa Beach pier. They are also showing you the lowest price rooms at each hotel, but it is easy to click and see other room types along with the features of the hotel. You can get a lot of information without making a booking and make a decision about how much driving in the morning is worth how much savings. You can also refine your search to hotels with specific features or whatever.

I've been plotting a trip and found this to be a very helpful site. And it is great that it automatically filters out those hotels with no availability--you don't decide that something looks good only to find that it is full.

More and bigger ships at PC means the passenger count is way up SO

no deals from the port to fill the garages and no deals from hotels to fill their rooms.

also be aware if driving that traffic into the port area in the morning is getting to be something of an issue ESPECIALLY on Saturdays with typically 4 big ships on the A side turning around .... (A side means Carn', Disney and NCL)

****

if coming from the south and all you want is a room and some food, look around exit 191 of I-95, Viera. There's a La Quinta, Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn and a slew of places to eat as it is near "Avenues Viera" ... everything from Steak and Shake and Sonny's BBQ, to Cracker Barrel, Bone Fish Grill and a bunch in between

altho: Boca? You're talking being barely 2 hours from PC ..... leave at 9 am and take your time and you are on board b4 noon and you have hours to spare in case of a booboo. I live near PC and for cruises out of Miami I drive down morning of .... I leave early for extra time 'just in case' but not worth a hotel stay.

OK' date=' my suggestion--go to hotels.com and plug in your dates along with Cocoa Beach. It will show you first those hotels with a Cocoa Beach address. But if you scroll down, you'll start seeing places with other addresses along with a notation of their distance from the Cocoa Beach pier. They are also showing you the lowest price rooms at each hotel, but it is easy to click and see other room types along with the features of the hotel. You can get a lot of information without making a booking and make a decision about how much driving in the morning is worth how much savings. You can also refine your search to hotels with specific features or whatever.

 

I've been plotting a trip and found this to be a very helpful site. And it is great that it automatically filters out those hotels with no availability--you don't decide that something looks good only to find that it is full.[/quote']

 

Thanks! I will definitely check out that site.

More and bigger ships at PC means the passenger count is way up SO

 

no deals from the port to fill the garages and no deals from hotels to fill their rooms.

 

also be aware if driving that traffic into the port area in the morning is getting to be something of an issue ESPECIALLY on Saturdays with typically 4 big ships on the A side turning around .... (A side means Carn', Disney and NCL)

 

****

if coming from the south and all you want is a room and some food, look around exit 191 of I-95, Viera. There's a La Quinta, Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn and a slew of places to eat as it is near "Avenues Viera" ... everything from Steak and Shake and Sonny's BBQ, to Cracker Barrel, Bone Fish Grill and a bunch in between

 

altho: Boca? You're talking being barely 2 hours from PC ..... leave at 9 am and take your time and you are on board b4 noon and you have hours to spare in case of a booboo. I live near PC and for cruises out of Miami I drive down morning of .... I leave early for extra time 'just in case' but not worth a hotel stay.

Southeast Boca to the area right around the port.... I seem to remember it taking about 3 hours to drive there. That is with stopping at MickeyD's for breakfast. A quick Google search and I found the time range to be around 2 hours 42 minutes, to 2 hours 28 minutes.

We have done it both ways several times - driving up the day before or driving the day of. I am just really surprised at how much the hotels have gone up.

pick one:

a) an edit got computer burped when I changed from 2, to 3 hours after a map check

b) I made you check your math with an intentional booboo

I mean really ...... 3 hours. this does not warrant a nite b4 arrival IMO ..... but if looking for an excuse for a dinner out or a "different room" ....... even old retired folks can appreciate that .....

(I live near the port .... dd lived in Miami for a while recently and we/she drove this route often ..... dd now lives in West Palm and we/she drive this often ..... I KNOW the time to drive between Miami and PC and points between!!!!)

OK, I'm cheap. But for a 2 1/2-3 hour drive, I'd probably leave early the morning of the cruise for a planned port arrival about 10. Since "all aboard" isn't till 4, that leaves plenty of time in the event of an emergency. The money I saved on the hotel would go a long way toward covering the parking!

My definition of "worst possible emergency" might involve car being towed to nearby garage and I'd have to rent a car to continue the trip. Won't happen, but that would be my ultimate contingency plan.

OK...., as I mentioned above in an earlier post, sometimes we like to drive up the day before as an added day (Vero outlets, seafood restaurants, manatee park, Ron Jon and the beach). I started this thread to find out where others stay since prices seem to have gone way up.

But, I'm thinking from reading this thread that going up the day before is a mistake.

And, according to another thread it's a mistake of cruising during the summer, and even another thread says this 11-nighter is way too much money. All true! Not sure why we even booked this thing!

Thanks for your input. Maybe we will drive up the day of.

Nothing wrong with going the day before just to have fun. If your goal is to get to the ship, you can go the day of. If goal is to spend a day playing tourist, go a day ahead and enjoy yourself!

We stay at Marriott's Residence Inn Port Canaveral.

We loved four points. Great area. Fun spot and great food

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We loved the Homewood Suites. Great rooms with a little kitchen and breakfast provided. Parking is $6 a day I believe and they have shuttle (small fee). Not a bad deal over all.

pick one:

 

a) an edit got computer burped when I changed from 2, to 3 hours after a map check

 

b) I made you check your math with an intentional booboo

 

I mean really ...... 3 hours. this does not warrant a nite b4 arrival IMO ..... but if looking for an excuse for a dinner out or a "different room" ....... even old retired folks can appreciate that .....

 

(I live near the port .... dd lived in Miami for a while recently and we/she drove this route often ..... dd now lives in West Palm and we/she drive this often ..... I KNOW the time to drive between Miami and PC and points between!!!!)

OK' date=' I'm cheap. But for a 2 1/2-3 hour drive, I'd probably leave early the morning of the cruise for a planned port arrival about 10. Since "all aboard" isn't till 4, that leaves plenty of time in the event of an emergency. The money I saved on the hotel would go a long way toward covering the parking!

 

My definition of "worst possible emergency" might involve car being towed to nearby garage and I'd have to rent a car to continue the trip. Won't happen, but that would be my ultimate contingency plan.[/quote']

 

OP here. Just wanted to come back and say we drove from Boca to Cocoa Beach the day BEFORE the cruise and had a fabulous time! It was well worth going the day before!

 

We left home early and stopped at the Vero Outlet Mall. Then we drove over to the historic Cocoa Village and spent some time walking around the shops. Had lunch at a seafood restaurant. Stopped at Ron Jon's and also the beach/pier. Spent time touring the inside of the Exploration Tower at the port. Drove over to the Port Canaveral locks, took some pics of the manatees. Went to the Florida Beer Company, took the tour, enjoyed a flight of beer. Then we stayed right next door at the Hilton Homewood Suites.

 

It was a fun day and a great start to our 11-nighter on the Fantasy!

I say thanks' for the follow up

glad you had fun

and see you found the 'new place' Hilton Homewood Suites

Other thought, if you don't want to pay for parking at terminal, get a rental car for the day going to and from the port. A lot of them are near the port, and they run free shuttles from rental drop off to the cruise terminal (and back on disembarkation day)

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